


Family Doesn't Leave

by cherrysprite



Series: Quarantine Fics [18]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (Pack), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Friend Stiles Stilinski, Disapproving Family, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Good Boyfriend Liam Dunbar, Good Boyfriend Theo Raeken, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Insecure Theo Raeken, Insecurity, Kissing, M/M, McCall Pack, Pack Dynamics, Post-Canon, Relationship Issues, The Pack doesn't approve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24315559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysprite/pseuds/cherrysprite
Summary: Liam goes over to Theo's house expecting to be proposed to, but instead he finds a closed-off Theo who won't tell him what's wrong.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: Quarantine Fics [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691383
Comments: 9
Kudos: 215





	Family Doesn't Leave

**Author's Note:**

> This was another fic that I'd written most of a few months back and just now decided to add an ending to, lol :) Thank my writer's block for this one!

There's always a bounce of excitement in Liam's step whenever he comes up the stairs in Theo's apartment building, always bounding up to floor four with a smile on his face. The hallways are a little dim for his liking and in Theo's words, it "kind of always smells like hot dogs," but Theo's there, so Liam overlooks it. 

Tonight, he's especially excited, but he's not supposed to be. He hadn't known what he was getting into when Theo specifically invited him over for dinner that night, but his parents couldn't lie for shit, even if Liam wasn't able to hear their heartbeats. He'd basically forced it out of them by whining what they were trying to hide from him.

Theo had been planning to propose, and Liam was more than ready for it.

They have so much history together, and although they had been on and off for awhile, he was all in. He loves Theo, and couldn't see himself with anyone different. Despite their differences, they just work, and there was no way in Hell (no pun intended) that Liam is about to say no to Theo getting down on one knee.

So he'd gotten dressed nicer than normal, enough that he would look extra good for Theo but not too much that he couldn't deny that the surprise had been spoiled for him by his snitch parents, and he walks up to the door. He taps on it once, twice, pauses, and then a third time, their little code that he'd made up one day, but instead of tapping it back, Theo just unlocks the door and pulls it open.

Liam didn't know what he expected to see, but his vague visions fade away almost immediately after seeing that Theo is basically in pajamas. There's nothing set up, no dinner on the table - just an open bottle of Theo's favorite bourbon and a dark studio apartment. "...Hey," Liam says, keeping any emotion out of his voice as he walks in slowly. "What's...what's going on?"

Theo's space is cramped and tiny, all one room, so it's not hard for Liam to already be halfway in, but Theo is still standing by the entrance. "Now's not really a good time."

Liam eyes the glass on the table. It has enough fingerprints on it that Theo would have been refilling it for a few beats now, but Theo is just barely buzzed from his chimera healing. It's still something. Theo doesn't drink unless something is wrong or he's at a party, and his apartment is too empty for the latter. "Hey," He says again, stepping closer to Theo. "Come on, what's wrong?" He asks gently.

"I said this isn't a good time." Theo isn't meeting his eyes, staring at the floor instead, so Liam moves so that he has to see him. 

"Theo..."

 _"I said it isn't a good time!"_ Theo shouts suddenly. "Can you just _go?"_ Liam reels back, shocked. Theo never, _ever_ yells at him. He can't read what's in Theo's eyes now through both of their heartbeats hammering for different reasons and the way Theo has completely shut down. It's been years since Theo has been like this - closed off completely - and Liam can't help but feel like he's back at square one. The hurt sets in almost immediately. 

Still shocked, Liam barely looks at him as he walks past him and through the door. As much as he wants to slam it and run, he doesn't. It's hard to be angry at your anchor, or at least find the strength to show it when he's right there.

There's a text from Mason in his phone as he walks back towards the elevator, feeling numb as his brain tries to register what happened.

_**Mason (10:32 PM) -** text me a pic of that ring as soon as you get it!!_

Liam rolls his eyes at his phone and stops in front of the stairs to type back.

_**Liam (Draft, 10:46 PM) -** No ring. Something's wrong with him, he told me to leave. Can I come over? I'll bring |_

He remembers other times when he used to go over to Mason's house in times of Theo being frustrating, but that's what makes him stop typing.

Just a few minutes ago, he had been ready to walk into Theo's apartment and get engaged. He was ready to marry this man. They weren't at that immature, running-away, miscommunication stage in their relationship; they were ready to put rings on their fingers, and once they were married, _that_ wasn't a part of it.

He deletes his text then and turns right back around, not bothering with the code as he raps on Theo's door repeatedly. "I know you're in there, you didn't climb out the fucking window," He calls, knocking until Theo opens it.

"What are you doing?" He demands, sounding tired and irritated. Liam ducks under the arm that's holding the door open and steps into Theo's apartment again, standing in the middle of the small space.

"I'm not leaving," Liam says, holding his head up. "You don't want to talk now? Fine. Whatever. You can work it out on your own." He turns to Theo then, who's still standing by the open door. "But family doesn't leave."

He knows what the word 'family' does to Theo, and it works just like he knew it would - there's the tiniest twitch in his expression and he closes the door, resigned.

+++

Theo pours one last shot of bourbon, puts the bottle away, and then climbs out on the fire escape as Liam sighs. He knew going in that this wasn't about to be easy, the silence, but he said he would stay, so he does. 

He lets Theo sit on the fire escape and drink alone, but Liam is busy going through the motions of Theo's apartment. He straightens up the clothes and dishes Theo has left out, obviously having given up on cleaning entirely before Liam came over, and gets himself settled in. He takes off his button-down shirt and pants and gets into some more comfortable clothes - Theo's shirt and sweatpants. He has his own clothes at Theo's place, but he doesn't really care if it's going to piss him off. If Theo needed him to be normal, he wasn't going to change.

He hoped that Theo would have come inside by the time an hour has passed, but he doesn't, so Liam climbs into bed like he normally would and gets under the covers. They smell like his boyfriend and they're comforting against the anxiety, even though it's caused by him. He can't get out of his head that if whatever happened didn't get in the way, he would be calling Theo his fiancee by now.

The text he sends to Mason is edited.

_**Liam (11:43 PM) -** No ring. Something's off with him but we'll work it out._

He sends it with finality and determination, already wondering if he should call out of work tomorrow morning and just be around for Theo more. Liam doesn't get to think about it for long, because Theo comes in through the window off the fire escape. 

Liam tries not to look at him too much, but he can tell that Theo is staring at his back. He wishes he was better at scenting emotions so he could tell what he was feeling, but all he can smell is frustration muddled with Theo's natural scent of wood and dying leaves.

Theo slides in next to him, his back turned to him, hurt radiating off him in waves. It's all Liam can do to take the chance and curl up around Theo's back. Normally Theo likes to be the big spoon, but he has to touch him somehow. 

He doesn't let him stay. Theo rolls over to face him, and his eyes are on his lips, and it isn't right, but it's still Theo. He leans in to kiss Liam, and besides the feeling of relief that washes over Liam at the touch, he can feel that there's something different there. His kiss is harder than it usually starts, pressing firmly, and his hands come to cup Liam's face and hold him there. Liam takes it as an apology, one he accepts as Theo starts to crawl on top of him with a renewed energy that he didn't have a second ago.

It's not an explanation, but he still has Theo near and it's enough.

+++

That's not to say that he wasn't expecting to get an explanation eventually. Liam doesn't think he was stupid to think that after the sex they'd had last night, Theo would be more ready to talk. Instead, when they both wake up, Theo asks if he wants something to eat for breakfast and if he needs a ride to work. Liam answers yes to the first and no to the second, and watches in bewilderment as Theo swings his legs out of bed and puts his sweatpants back on. He walks to the kitchen across the studio without a word or looking at Liam.

 _They had been doing so good,_ Liam thought over breakfast as he realized Theo really wasn't going to talk about it. _He used to talk to me all the time about what was bothering him. Now what?_

"We have that thing at Scott's," Liam reminds him just to break the silence that's now become tense since yesterday night. Theo pauses as he's eating his cereal for a split second but nods the next like Liam barely said anything. "I'll see you there tonight?" Just to get more words out of him.

"Yeah," Theo confirms, finishing off his cereal and rinsing the bowl in the sink. Liam watches his every movement. It's as if last night never happened.

"...Well...I should get going, then," Liam says after he finishes his own cereal. He lingers for a second at the counter, waiting just an extra second to see if Theo will decide to open up, but nothing comes.

He goes to leave, but he hears Theo come up behind him. His hands fall onto Liam's waist and he rests his head on Liam's shoulder for a second before turning him around to kiss him goodbye. Liam's eyes close on their own volition. At least there's one thing that connects the two days together. Theo's kiss is insistent and firm, pressing apologies into his skin as a goodbye. "Bye," Theo whispers, his hands only coming off his hips a few seconds too late for it to be normal.

Liam kisses him on the cheek in return. "Bye."

+++

"What happened last night?" Mason asks him as soon as they get away from the rest of the pack. Scott likes to hold meetings every so often just so that the pack could be together, and usually Liam likes going to them, but he would really rather be home with Theo. Cuddling on the couch sounds so much better than sitting in the basement waiting for Theo show up.

"I don't know," Liam sighs. "I came over there sure that he was going to propose like my Mom and Dad said he would, but he told me to leave. I was about to come over to your place, but that's just so...juvenile for us, you know? We were doing so good with talking things over, but he didn't say anything about it. Not all night or this morning."

"That's weird. Maybe you should just give him time?" He suggests. "I know that isn't what you want to hear, but it might need to be what happens. It'll give you both some time to think. Whatever happened, he'll have gotten the words together to say, and you can put yourself into his shoes for the time being. Try and consider what could make Theo suddenly lash out at you."

Liam nods, staring down at his hands. "I just hope he's okay," He says softly. "The proposal isn't a big deal to me compared to making sure he's alright."

"I know, but he's strong. I'm sure he will be."

Liam looks up at him and snickers. "Is that your psych degree speaking?" He asks knowingly, and Mason can't stop himself from laughing.

"Hey, half this pack needs therapy. I'm just doing my part," Mason says. Liam's phone lights up on the couch and Mason hands it to him.

_**Theo (6:12 PM) -** I'm outside_

"It's Theo," Liam says, suddenly feeling anxious, and God, he really can't wait until this is over so he can go back to feeling relief around him instead of the opposite. "I have to go get him."

"He's outside?" Mason asks as Liam goes up the basement stairs to meet him.

He finds Theo standing on Scott's front porch, waiting for him to meet him. Theo has never liked these things as much as Liam has, or at all. Liam never asks why Theo always wanted him to meet him outside before he came in, but he was able to gather it himself. The only pack he was truly comfortable around was Lydia, Mason, Corey, and Liam, the forgiving ones. 

"Hey," Liam greets, trying to sound normal. Instead of answering, Theo wraps his arm around Liam's back and sweeps him into a kiss that's usually saved for after at least a hello. He's surprised again, but kisses him back either way. They stay close afterwards, Theo's forehead resting against his gently. "How was work?" He asks, voice now a little softer from Theo's affection.

"It was fine," Theo says, shrugging a little. Liam can feel his thumb stroking his back. It seems to take Theo more effort than usual to pull away from him, but their hands find their way to grip on their own. Liam isn't sure which one of their hands moved first. "You?"

"Fine," Liam says simply, once again wondering if Theo's going to talk. "You ready to go in?"

Theo's silent for a second before he tugs Liam a little closer by his hand and kisses his lips again, and this is when Liam starts getting even more concerned. As much as he loves it when Theo kisses him, it's usually saved for home when it's this much this fast. 

"Hey," Liam whispers, trying to get Theo to make eye contact with him. "It's okay. Last night, I mean. You don't have to keep doing this." Hurt flashes over Theo's eyes and Liam grips his hand tighter. "Not that I mind! Not at all."

Theo nods and starts walking, pulling Liam with him inside.

Everyone else is already there, so there are a lot of eyes on them when they come in. Liam wonders absently how many of them could tell that something was wrong from what they'd heard or seen from the windows. At least Stiles, Malia, and Scott, who looked at Theo and Liam and then back at each other like they knew something they didn't. Liam knew it made Theo uneasy, so he lead him into the kitchen, where he knew a less stressful audience would be.

Theo didn't let go of his hand even as they ate some of the snacks set out on the counter and talked to Lydia, Corey, and Kira. They talk about Lydia and Parrish's baby that's due in a month, and Theo was smiling and engaging, but every time Liam tested to see if he wanted to stop holding his hand, he kept his grip tight. He's still tense. 

"We've decided on names," Lydia says, leaning in so only they could hear. "Don't tell anybody yet, we're trying to keep them a surprise, but you guys are the best secret keepers in this pack."

"Especially Theo," Parrish laughs, coming up behind his wife and leaning in with the rest of them. They all laugh, but Liam doesn't miss the way his boyfriend tenses up next to him for a second. It hurts him to see Theo like this. He already knows they're not staying long tonight.

He's right. Theo seems even more flighty than usual and is silently begging to find somewhere else to go basically the entire time, and the digs that people are making at Theo that usually fly under Liam's radar are affecting him even more badly. Whatever Theo is upset about, this isn't helping. The third time Theo tries to subtly pull Liam away from the rest, he finally decides to end it. "You want to go?" He asks gently, rubbing Theo's arm. 

"Wait, no, you can't go yet!" Stiles interrupts from behind them as Theo's about to speak, startling them both. "Liam, come on. You've gotta stay a few more minutes." 

"He's right," Theo says, nodding to Stiles. "I'll go back to the apartment. You can meet me there when you're done."

"What? Theo..." Liam asks, confused, but Theo just gives him another long goodbye kiss. 

"I'll see you," He says quietly, slipping out the door.

"Well, he seems weirder than usual," Stiles says while Liam stands, stunned. "Oh well. Come on, come on!" Before Liam can protest, Stiles is grabbing his wrist and pulling him back into the kitchen.

+++

Liam has no idea why he's there or why anyone felt the need to keep him there, since an hour later of stalling, they're not doing anything. Almost everybody is gathered around the kitchen table just eating snacks and talking about nothing important, just asking Liam a bunch of random questions here and there. He wonders how stupid his pack thinks he is, thinking he can't tell that this conversation barely qualifies as one. They're asking him about his job and his parents and all things they basically already know, and it's weird.

He looks at the clock on his phone and realizes that almost an hour has passed, and it would take another fifteen minutes to get to Theo's place. "I really do need to get going," He says definitively, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He's expecting for them to let him go after they made him sit through this confusing interaction so that he could go have an even more confusing interaction, but Stiles starts to stammer. 

"Wait, come on, you don't have to go yet," He protests, looking around at everyone for their input. Mason, Corey, and Parrish, who are standing nearby Liam, look like they have no idea what Stiles is on about, Lydia glares at him like there's a warning attached, and the rest of the pack start supporting Stiles with varying levels of enthusiasm. 

Liam looks at his alpha, starting to get irritated, finding a conflicting emotion there. "Theo's waiting for me," Liam says more firmly now. Scott looks like he's about to agree, but Stiles interrupts.

"Theo!" He exclaims like it's some big realization. 

"Stiles-" Lydia warns, and Liam's gaze shoots to her. 

"I've been meaning to ask you about you two! H-how are you guys? No ring on that finger yet?" Stiles continues anyway, ignoring her.

"We're fine," Liam says, staring around at everyone. "You're all acting weird, I'm gonna go."

He ignores their last-ditch efforts at protesting and walks out. Theo was right, they were being more overwhelming than usual, even for Liam, but that wasn't important right now. Liam has to go find out what's wrong with his boyfriend before even beginning to deal with what a mess the pack is.

+++

Theo tries to kiss him as soon as he gets through the front door of his apartment. This time, Liam can't even get a word out before he's on him, acting like he had been waiting for him for years in the hour and a half he was home alone. He's pulling Liam in by the lapels of his jacket, kicking the door shut behind him, and trying to lead Liam over to the bed, but this time, Liam's able to stop him. "Theo," He breathes while Theo's still trying to get him undressed, shaky fingers fumbling for the buttons on his shirt. His breath is ragged in Liam's ear, but it doesn't sound right. "Theo, Theo," He tries again when Theo groans in frustration when he can't get his shirt off fast enough. 

"Theo!" He says a little louder, and he frees his hands to cup Theo's face. Theo can barely get a breath in. "What's going on with you?" He asks softly, thinking this is finally the breaking point.

And when he kisses him, things start to fall into place. His lips find Liam's like they have a million times before, but they skip the softness and go right into desperation. He remembers then what Theo had said about being angry because he was scared, and how Mason told him to try and figure out what other reason could be causing him to act this way. The look in his eyes when he pulls away is all he needs to confirm it - Theo is scared, and it breaks his heart.

Theo's kiss is referred to in romance as _kissing someone like you're afraid to lose them,_ and that is exactly what Theo is. Afraid.

Theo's eyes well up and Liam brings Theo's head down to rest on his shoulder. "What's wrong, T?" He whispers.

Theo doesn't answer for a minute, and doesn't answer until they've spent Liam's spent at least five minutes standing in the kitchen with one of his hands stroking Theo's hair. At first when he speaks, Liam can barely hear him. It's only a mumble against the fabric of Liam's shirt, sounding completely defeated and out of character.

"What?" Liam asks gently, pulling away just slightly so that he can meet Theo's eyes. Theo steels his expression and clenches his jaw. He looks a lot angrier this time, but his watery eyes betray what he's trying to do.

"You're too good for me," Theo repeats stoically, trying to hide the hurt in his voice. Liam's eyebrows knit together in confusion. As long as they've been together, Theo has been self-assured and was never afraid, at least not like this; not to Liam's face. 

"What are you talking about?" Liam says, bringing his hands up to rest on Theo's shoulders. Theo looks away from him.

"You know it's true. Everybody else knows it too," Theo says and then gives a self-deprecating laugh. There's a kind of sad humor in his smile. "It's probably better this way that I tell you now so I don't have to wait."

"Theo...?" Liam trails, more confused than ever. "What are you saying?"

Theo looks at him again, but only for a second before his eyes drop back to the floor. "I figured that when Scott and the others tried to keep you behind tonight, you wouldn't be coming back," Theo says, shrugging. "I figured tonight was the night they were finally going to convince you to leave me like they've wanted to all along."

Liam wants to reach out and touch Theo, but he's so strung-up that he's afraid that Theo will break if he does. It's news to him that his pack have been talking.

"I heard them talking about it," Theo continues hoarsely. "At the last meeting we had, the night after I invited you to dinner. I went back inside to get the coat I left, and they were just-" Theo cuts off, swallowing. "Stiles, Malia, and Scott, all standing in the kitchen talking about how they were going to tell you to break up with me. Malia thought they should lie and tell you I cheated on you, but Stiles was going more for the 'remind him of Theo's past' route. And he's right," Theo chokes slightly, clearing his throat. "I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop all week, because maybe that's how it's supposed to go. I know how important they are to you, and they've never been wrong about me before, so maybe you _should_ just break it off."

Liam stands there, stunned into silence. "Theo," He starts softly once he regains the ability to talk. "There is nothing they could say to me that would make me leave you," He says firmly, staring into Theo's eyes as seriously as he can. "I don't know what you heard for sure, and I don't care, because it doesn't matter. My pack might mean a lot to me, but you-" Liam pokes him in the chest then soothes it over with the palm of his hand. "You are _everything_ to me." Theo's eyes are tearing up again no matter how hard he's trying to keep a strong face on. "And I think they're forgetting that I was there, too. I know about your past because I was _there."_ Liam smiles at him softly, remembering how ready he was to marry Theo just twenty-four hours before. "So next time I see them, I'll tell them to go fuck themselves, _especially_ Stiles, because I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. You _never_ have to worry about that."

Before Theo can start crying, Liam leans up and kisses him, making sure that he does it just as strongly as Theo has all day. Theo's arms wrap around his waist with ease. There's no pretending, no preamble before they fall into each other like there usually is. What they have is this, real and solid, and he needs to make Theo see that more than ever. 

They don't talk about marriage that night, that thought put to the side for now, but he lets Theo take him to bed again, lets him go slow and gentle. Liam keeps his eyes trained on Theo's the whole time while Theo's over him, keeping him there and focused - It's okay, I'm here. We're here.

+++

Theo stares at him as they lay next to each other that night, blinking slowly but never looking away from Liam. Liam's half-asleep then, but he still hears it when Theo speaks. "You're sure about this?" He asks quietly, timid. "You're not...leaving?"

"Of course not," Liam says without hesitation, moving closer so that he's settled with his head under Theo's chin. "Family doesn't leave."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> I wrote another fic based off of Jane The Virgin, (Gentle) but this one is based off of the Season 4 finale. I won't go all into that in case you haven't seen it yet, but don't worry, I haven't accidentally spoiled you or anything if you were planning on watching (which I highly recommend!!). 
> 
> I like insecure Theo, but I feel like it's really hard to write him because he's kind of a smartass and wouldn't vocalize his issues like Liam would. Hopefully I did it right, let me know :)
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!  
> Tumblr: grenadinepeach


End file.
